The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) condemns the series of state violence perpetrated against the Filipino students, youth and people related to today’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Pres. Noynoy Aquino.

NUSP demands the immediate release of SONA protesters, including iskolars ng bayan from the University of the Philippines-Diliman and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, who were illegally arrested during the violence initiated by riot police forces at Commonwealth Avenue earlier this day. The detention of the protesters in Camp Karingal are both illegal and fascistic, as the protesters only stood their ground to legally and collectively voice out the real state of the nation – dismal, impoverished, and full of violence from the regime itself.

Furthermore, NUSP condemns the violence perpetrated by CampKaringal police forces to the more than 300 youth and student activists who were demanding for the release of SONA protesters who were illegally arrested.

Earlier, students from BulacanStateUniversity, as well as youth and farmers from Bulacan and Tarlac, who were set to attend the alternative “SONA ng Bayan” at Commonwealth Avenue, were blocked by police forces. The drivers of their jeepneys were arrested and were filed with trumped-up charges in order to hold back their contingent.

The president’s fourth SONA will forever be remembered for all the violence perpetuated and perpetrated by the State itself. PNoy must remember the very cardinal virtue that is accorded to the leader of this nation: that is to serve and protect the nation and its people, and not to harm them physically, economically, culturally and politically. If there is one thing that PNoy should learn and practice from the very words he uttered from his SONA, it would be this: “Kung hindi mo nagagawa ang iyong trabaho, hindi ka karapat-dapat na manatili sa pwesto.”